"ملف 8/7 I تقارير الاستخبارات في جدة" [و‎‎٩] (٥٣٦/١٧)

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9
instructed on June 28 to reply to the Hejazi Note of March 11, merely
stating that His Majesty’s Government agreed to the establishment of wire
less communication between Aden and Jisan, detailed arrangements for
which would be made by Aden through the Legation, and that they saw no
objection to the establishment of postal communication between Kamaran
and Jisan. On receipt of further instructions in the latter connection His
Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires informed the Hejazi Government on August 8
that it was assumed that the proposed exchange of mails would be made in
accordance with the principles of the Universal Postal Convention and
subsidiary agreements, so far as these applied.
39. Status of A sir .—The political issue of the recognition of the actual
status of Asir was met by informing the Italian Government that in defer
ence to their views (which were strongly anti-recognition of any kind) no
formal recognition of Asir’s new status would be conveyed by His Majesty’s
Government to the Hejazi Government, but that it was not practical politics
to refuse to correspond with them on matters of practical interest to the
country. No mention of the question of recognition whether de jure or de
facto, was of course to be made to the Hejazi Government.
40. Military Affairs .—Intelligence reports from Aden during August
combined to give warning of a certain degree of activity in the northern
Yemen, possibly directed against Asir. Thus on August 8 the report was
recorded that the Imam Yahya had raised the pay of all his regular forces
by twenty per cent, and authorised a special allowance of twenty per cent,
for service in the Tihran, i.e. y the coastal belt; on August 15 that the Indz
was organising an expedition against the Dakan confederation who were
supposed to be giving him trouble in his northern territories; and that on
August 23 an expedition of six companies of regulars was being fitted out
at Sau’s under the. Imam’s son, Sword-of-Islam Ahmad, for service in the
North.
41. Although the boundary between Asir and the Yemen has never
been defined, the Hejazi Government decided in mid-August that it had
been violated by the Imam’s troops. As Viceroy of the'Hejaz in his father’s
absence, the Amir Feyzal telegraphed instructions on August 13 to the
this very evil act, and to demand the punishment of the violaters, an apology
withdrawn 1 of the Yemeni advanced posts, the return of thirty hostages
(presimistically described by the Legation’s translator as mortgages), and
the payment of compensation and blood-money. Apparently on August
23, although the true date was probably earlier and the transmission via
Maseam delayed, Ibn Sa’ud himself telegraphed to the Izda to say that he
was told that the latter’s troops had reached JabaT Arza in Asir, occupied
it and taken thirty hostages—but he could not believe it. If, however, it
were a fact and ordered by the Imam, then there was neither might nor
power save in Allah. The sequal falls to be told in the next report.
42. Sir A. Ryan sailed from Jedda. on Julv 19 in H. M. S. “Lupin”
for five months leave of absence. Mr. Hope Gill became Chargd d’Affaires.
43. Hejazi relations wiith His Majesty’s Government in the United
Kingdom were not strained at any point. Exchanges over Trans-Jordan
were rather tiresome, as already recounted in paragraphs 15 to 31, but
Imam’s other fosterlin ’Iraq gave not a moment’s anxiety,
44. The signed Money order Agreement with Palestine was received
from the Hejazi Government in Julv and transmitted to Jerusalem together
with two Notes from the Mecca Postmaster-General concerning a typing
error in the English version and the settlement of “interest” on’outstand^
ing accounts.
L807(C)F*PD
Amir of Jisan to protest to the Governor of Kidi, the Imam’s son, against
III. RELATIONS WITH STATES OUTSIDE ARABIA.
Brztish Empire.